0p0 Chapter 419 "Oriole"
Chapter 419 "Oriole"
"Alright, Sister Jingfei, there's no need to discuss this matter any further. Wait until the imperial edict comes down, and then we'll congratulate you properly."
After saying this, Zhen Huan changed the subject and cast her gaze towards An Lingrong who was not far away. At the same time, she raised her voice and called out, "Rong'er!"
An Lingrong was immersed in the coolness brought by the ice basin. When she heard the call, she just responded casually: "What are you doing?" But she still had her back to the crowd and did not look back.
Zhen Huan shook her head helplessly and spoke again: "Come!"
This time, An Lingrong reluctantly stood up from the ice basin, slowly walked over to Shen Meizhuang, sat down next to her, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"I feel bad that I couldn't promote you during this grand ceremony. So, the Emperor and I have discussed this carefully and are planning to give you another title."
"Give me another title?" An Lingrong was surprised, her eyes full of confusion, and blurted out: "What do I need so many titles for? I can't sell them for money!"
After saying this, he felt something was wrong and smiled awkwardly.
Shen Meizhuang raised her hand and patted her head, scolding her: "The title bestowed by the Emperor is the highest honor, a favor that others cannot even ask for. Don't talk nonsense."
An Lingrong nodded obediently: "Oh!"
Looking at her expression, Feng Ruozhao chuckled and said, "Sister Wen, this can certainly be exchanged for money. With two titles, it means double the allowance!"
An Lingrong's eyes lit up: "Really!"
Zhen Huan smiled and nodded.
"That's good, thank you Sister Zhen."
"You, a money-grubber!" Zhen Huan said jokingly, "What title do you want?"
"Can I choose?"
"The Emperor asked the Imperial Household Department to select one and look at it. I wanted to ask for your opinion first."
An Lingrong held her chin in her hand and thought for a moment. A sly smile appeared on her face, and she raised her voice, "Aunt, bring me some paper and pen."
Jin Xi, who had been standing by, heard this and immediately placed paper and pen on the small table between them.
An Lingrong picked up the brush, dipped it heavily in thick ink, and with a turn of her wrist, the brush tip was sharp and the force penetrated the back of the paper. A big "Li" character appeared on the white rice paper, and the ink was still slowly spreading.
"How about this title?" An Lingrong wrote it in one go. After finishing, she quickly raised her head, her eyes as sharp as torches, staring straight at Zhen Huan's face opposite her, with a strange light flashing in her eyes.
Zhen Huan frowned and asked, "Ori? What does this mean?"
An Lingrong's lips curled up in a faint smile. "The oriole has a clear voice, can sing and dance well, and has a gentle temperament. Isn't it very similar to me?"
Shen Meizhuang and Feng Ruozhao looked at the words on the table with puzzled expressions. Putting aside whether the word was appropriate or not, just talking about your temperament, how can you be gentle?
Normally, Shen Meizhuang almost obeyed An Lingrong's words, but this time, the word "li" really made her feel inappropriate. Just when she was about to speak, her arm was suddenly held down by An Lingrong.
An Lingrong still looked straight ahead, staring at Zhen Huan with burning eyes.
Zhen Huan looked at the word, feeling inexplicably annoyed. After a moment, she slowly said, "This title isn't good. Change it."
After saying this, I suddenly felt a burning pain on my face, as if I had been slapped in the face.
Hearing this, An Lingrong raised her eyebrows slightly and asked, "What's wrong with it?"
"How can you use an animal as a title? A title is a symbol of status, how can it be so casual?" She looked at An Lingrong and asked, "Why did you suddenly think of this word?"
"Nothing, I just think this word sounds nice." An Lingrong lowered her eyes and spoke in a faint voice, making it impossible to guess what she was really thinking.
Zhen Huan frowned helplessly, reached out and took the pen from An Lingrong, thought for a moment, and wrote the character "Li" on the paper, saying, "Since you like it, then use this character. It means husband and wife, and it has a good meaning."
An Lingrong remained unmoved. Looking at Zhen Huan's expression, she said with a half-smile, "But I just wanted to use this word."
Zhen Huan raised her head and stared straight into An Lingrong's eyes, wondering, "Rong'er? Why do I feel like you're acting weird right now?"
"What's weird?"
"That's not the way you usually look at me."
Normally, Rong'er's eyes were always gentle and warm when she looked at her. But now, her eyes were playful, even slightly cold. This look made Zhen Huan feel uncomfortable, as if something was standing between them.
The people standing by also noticed the strange atmosphere. They had been in the palace for many years, and their relationship had always been harmonious and warm. This kind of situation had never happened before.
She felt vaguely uneasy and placed her hand on An Lingrong's back, stroking it gently, her tone filled with concern: "Rong'er?"
Feeling Shen Meizhuang's touch, An Lingrong's body stiffened, then slowly relaxed. She finally put away her expression, looked away from Zhen Huan, and asked in a low voice, "Do you really think this title is bad?"
"Yes." Zhen Huan said firmly.
Feng Ruozhao said from the side, "Sister Wen, if you like orioles, I'll have the Imperial Household Department send you some to cheer you up someday, okay?"
"Sister Jingfei, I don't like orioles."
Feng Ruozhao smiled and said, "In that case, then don't use this title. You are so popular, so of course you need an excellent character to match you."
"Good!" An Lingrong smiled at the compliment.
Her eyes fell on the word "鹂" again. The ink had dried, but the handwriting was still clear. She reached out her hand and gently stroked the word with her fingertips, her eyes flickering slightly.
Regardless of her past life, she no longer had any connection to that word in this life. The woman who had been teased by fate and despised by the world finally found liberation in this life. And having Zhen Huan personally declare that this word was bad was a comfort to the poor woman in her past life.
An Lingrong withdrew her hand, raised her head, and looked at Zhen Huan with clear eyes. There was a hint of playfulness in her tone: "Sister Zhen, you are knowledgeable and talented. Why don't you help me choose one?"
Zhen Huan breathed a sigh of relief when she saw her expression return to normal. She pointed to the character "丽" she had just written and asked gently, "How about this?"
An Lingrong shook her head, the corners of her mouth curled up slightly, and her tone was full of ridicule: "This is not good. We are both concubines, how can we be married to the emperor? Besides, I don't want to be married to him."
"Naughty!"
The atmosphere in the room finally returned to its former warmth and harmony. However, only An Lingrong herself knew that the memory of her past life carried by the word "li" had already come to an end in her heart.
In this life, she will never be bound by that word again.